Electric interlocking switch and signal system.



No. 772,604. PATENTED OCT. 18, 1904. G. BLEYNIE & T. DUGEJUSSO. ELECTRICINTBRLOGKING SWITCH AND SIGNAL SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29. 1904.

N0 MODEL. 5 BHEET5BKEBT 1- Tij 9 1 719 21g my Tliji No. 772,604.PATENTED OCT. 18, 1904. G. BLEYNIB & T. DUCOUSSO.

ELECTRIC INTERLOOKING SWITCH AND SIGNAL SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED APR 29. 1904.

2 SHEBTBSHEBT 2.

N0 MODEL UNITED STATES Patented October 18, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

ELECTRIC INTERLOCKING SWITCH AND SIGNAL SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 772,604, dated October18, 1904.

Application filed April 29,1904.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, Gns'mvn BLEYNIE and TnEormLE Duooosso, citizens ofthe Republic of France, and residents of Paris, France,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ElectricInterlocking Switch and Signal Systems, (for which we have obtained inFrance a patent of addition, No. 1,765, hearing date May 1, 1903, to thePatent No. 315,724., hearing date November 8, 1901,) of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention has for its object an improved system for directlyoperating railway switches and signals by means of a single lever calledan itinerary-lever, said system comprising the same essential parts andworking in an absolutely analogous manner to the system ofitinerary-levers fully described and claimed in our American Patent No.7 49,255-that is to say, enabling the whole of the apparatus of thetrack and the signals arranged for a given itinerary to be operated andinterlocked and their position ascertained from a central station, suchoperation and control being effected by the manipulation of a singlemember (lever, fly-wheel, or the like) directly operated in the centralstation.

Conformably with our American Patent No. 749,255 our operating systemalways comprises, first, a series of itinerar -levers which arepreferably arranged in a row like the levers now in use; secondly, aseries of operating-motors for each of the switches or signals undercontrol and proper means of transmission between these motors and therespective levers; thirdly, controlling devices opcrated by therespective itinerary-levers for working the proper motors in the properdi rection at the proper time, and thereby causing the proper setting ofthe switches and signals; fourthly, a return transmission means betweeneach of said switches and signals and the station; fifthly, a system ofinterlocking controllers operated by said return transmission means andso connected with each other of the said itinerary-levers that theycannot be moved to their final position to clear the signals over theitinerary or route until all of the switches have been actually set intheir Serial No. 205,460- (Ilo model.)

For this purpose the mode of action die already reduced by one-half thenumber 5 of itinerary-levers required in a central station, allowingasingle lever to be utilized for two opposite itineraries.

The improved arrangement which forms the object of the present inventionis also characterized by the combination, with asingle lever, (thecombining member of which contains all the conditions of the circuitsinterested in all the itineraries which it is desired to operate by thissingle lever,) of as many auxiliary handles as there are itinerariescapable of being operated by the single lever in question, each of saidhandles corresponding to a selected one of the itineraries and no longeracting merely'on the signals of. this itinerary, as in our patenthereinbefore named, but also on a selecting mechanism enabling only thecircuits of the said given itinerary to be brought under the action ofthe single lever.

In order to facilitate the comprehension of 5 the specification,reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a diagram of the whole of four tracks converging toward twoprincipal tracks; Fig. 2, a lateral elevation of the whole 9 arrangementof the improved itinerary-lever provided with auxiliary commutators,selectors, and a combinator; Fig. 3, a sectional plan view of the samearrangement made on the line it 'v of Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a sectional planview of the same arrangement on the line w a: of Fig. 2; Fig. 5, asectional plan view of the same arrangement made on the line y 2 of Fig.2. These three sections are drawn to a scale double that of Fig. 2.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in the variousfigures, and we have designated by the numerals already employed in thedescription and drawings of our patent 'hereinbefore named the parts ofthe itineraryent hereinbefore named eight itinerary-la,

vers must be arranged at the central station on a switch-table, whilewith our improved arrangement only a single itinerary lever may, forinstance,.be employed for controlling the four itineraries connectingthe tracks A B C D with the track E and another single itinerary-levercontrolling the four itineraries connecting the tracks A B (J D with thetrack F. Auxiliary commutators working as in our patent hereinbeforenamed and equal in number to the number of itineraries will respectivelyact on the signals clearing each itinerary. Thus for one of theitinerary-levers the first commutator will act on the signals G and K,the second on the signals H and K, the third on the signals land K, thefourth on the signals J and K. Similarly, for the other itinerary-leverthe first auxiliary commutator will act on the signals G and L, thesecond on H and L, the third on I and L, and the fourth on J and L.Under these conditions of arrangement it is evident that in order 'toopen an itinerary it suffices to manipulate at the central station asingle itinerary-lever and an auxiliary commutator. The manipulation ofthe central station is therefore no longer complicated, as in the easeof our patent hereinbefore named, the sole difference being that withthe present arrangement the operation of the auxiliary commutator mustnecessarily precede that of the lever. The operating-lever proper isarranged, as in our patent hereinbcfore named, with its handle 1, itsshaft 2, its electric pawl 9, attached to the armature 7 'of anelectromagnet 6 and held up by a spring 8, its dogs 26, 27, and 28, andits rod 5, pivoted at4 for operating the cylinder 11, connected with thecylinder 12 by a coupling 38, having a predetermined play, thisoperating memberalso comprising a reversing mechanism 10, actuated bythe rod 35 of the reversing-lever 31, arranged in the same manner andfunctioning in the same way as the arrangement described in our AmericanPatent No. 749,255 under the action of pawls or a spiral spring 36. Inthe improved arrangement in question the two cylinders 11 and 12 have adiameter proportionate to the number of incompatible itineraries groupedunder the control of asingle lever, such as l,

and they aredivided into as many equal parts as there are itinerariescontrolled by the single lever on which they are dependent-say 4 in thepresent case taken as an example. Each of these parts has onsuitably-spaced generating-lines and each corresponding to a givenposition of the lever 1 all the contactkeys necessary for a givenitinerary. As in the patent hereinbefore named, these generating-linesnumber six. The first, corresponding to the normal position of thelever, is generally not provided with keys, and the others effect, bymeans of their keys, the same contact combinations as those described inour patent hereinbefore named. These six generating-lines arecomprisedin the angle a, Fig.5, which is precisely equal to that to which thecylinder 11 is displaced when the leverl passes from the normal positionto the reversed position, or vice ver'sa. "For1 5 control of a singlelever operating the combining-cylinders 11 and 12. It will consequentlysuffice to describe one of them for instance,

the shaft 16, Fig. 3. This shaft may turn? freely in the framework ofthe apparatus and carries an arm 17, mounted on the shaft, and the endof which penetrates into the recess or hollow part of a cam 19, keyed onthe shaft 20 of a corresponding auxiliary commutator 50 when the handle18 of this auxiliary commutator is in a normal position. When, on thecontrary, this handle 18 is displaced to the right or left of its normalposition, the full part of the cam 19 removes the arm 17, thus impartingto the shaft 16 an angular movement 6, Fig. 3, of a given amplitude. Theshaft 16 also carries an opposing spring 21, Fig. 2, which tends toproduce a movement in the reverse direction to the foregoing, andconsequently to return the arm 17 into the hollow part of the cam 19when the latter is returned to its normal position. This shaft 16 isflattened along the whole length 22 23, Fig. 2, and carries in this partall the sets of contactfsprings necessary for the circuits of anitinerary, each connected directly with the end of a flexible cable 24and arranged in such a way as to be able to coast with correspondingcontacts arranged on the generating-lines of the combining-cylinders 11and 12 in order to produce a series of successive effects identical withthe series described in our American Patent No. 7 49,255. These springs,which vary in number according to the itineraries, are seen in profilein the plan view shown in Fig. 5, in which they are all in a normal p0-sition except those of the selecting-shaft 16, which is shown in areversed position, the dotted lines corresponding to the normal positionof said shaft. The angular displacement Zv, Fig. 3, between these twopositions is that which arises from the rotation of the shaft 16 underthe action of the handle 18, already de' scribed. When an auxiliaryhandle, such as 18, is in a normal position, the correspondingselecting-shaft, such as 16, is arranged so that the springs carried bythe part 22 23 of said shaft are removed from the cylinders 11 and 12while these same springs are in engagement with these cylinders,andconsequently in a condition to operate in combination with the keyscarried by these latter when the auxiliary handle is reversed to onesideor the other of its normal position. Finally, each of theselectingshafts 13 14 15 16 also carries a lever-arm, such as 29, Fig.4, terminated by a bent catch or finger. The upper part of the cylinder1 1 has a flange 30, having as many apertures 31 32 33 34 as there areitineraries controlled by the le- VB! of this cylinder. \Vhen thecylinder 11 and consequently the lever 1 are in a normal position, theseapertures stand opposite the corresponding fingers, so that it is onlywhen the lever 1 is in a normal position that it is possible to causethe selecting-shafts 13 14 15 16 to turn, and consequentlyto bring thecontact-springs into engagement with the cylinders or even to displacefrom its normal po- 7.

sition any one of the handles, such as Further, when a handle isreversed, as the figures show for the handle 18, the finger of r thecorresponding lever 29 has passed to the interior of the flange 30through the aperture 34, Fig. 4, so that if the lever 1 be operated,which involves the rotation of the cyiinder 11, the aperture 34 is nolonger opposite the finger, which therefore remains locked by the flange30. The resultof this is that the springs from-22 to 23 remainnecessarily in engagement with the cylinders after the handle 18 hasbeen placed in a normal position until,

the lever 1 having been itself returned to a normal position, theaperture 34 again sta nds opposite the finger of the lever 29, whichallows the selecting-shaft 16 to resume its normal position under theaction of the spring 21.

The whole operating-lever shown in Fig. 2 is described in on r patenthereinbefore named, as well as the electric connections of its differentparts, more particulariy the electromagnet 6 of the pawl 9 andthepole-changer 10, with the contact-springs of the combinator. In thearrangement which forms the object of the present invention theseconnections are made with each of the series of springs carried by thevarious selecting-shafts 13 14 15 16 in the part 22 23 of these shaftsaccording to the same method as the one which was explained in ourpatent hereinbefore named. These different series of springs eachcorrespond, as has been hereinbefore stated, to a given itinerary, and asingle one of them may when the handle of the corresponding auxiliarycommutator is turned enter into combination with the cyiinders 11 and12, the other series of springs being held away from these cylinders. Aswas explained in our patent hereinbefore named, the cylinder 11 groupsin series with the electromagnet 6 and the source of electricity, allthe control-circuits of the apparatus interested in the itinerary, andalso by its combination with the auxiliary commutator 10, correspondingto this itinerary, the circuit of transmission of the signal or signalsopening this same itiner ary. The cylinder 12 groups in parallel thecircuits of transmission operating the distributers of energy to themotor apparatus of the switches and other apparatus of the track to beactuated in order to constitute the itinerary in question. The result isthat the working of the improved arrangement is absolutely the same fora given itinerary among those which it is adapted to control as in thecase of our patent hereinbefore named. It remains now to indicate inwhat manner this arrangement prevents two incompatible itineraries frombeing given simultaneously that is to say, how the interlocking isrealized, which interlocking may be for that mat ter obtained bymechanical or electric means. In the latter case we employ a meansaiready described in our patent hereinbefore named for producing theinterlocking at a distance, which means consist in preventing the lever1 continuing its movement if certain membersdependent on other levers donot actually occupy the indispensable position to allow of the itinerarywhich it is desired to employ being traveled over. For this purpose thecatch 28 on the lever 1, Fig. 2, is cut normally and encounters in itscourse the pawl 9, so that the lever 1, starting from its normalposition, cannot proceed farther unless the eiectromagnet 6 is excitedby a circuit passing in series into an interrupter fitted on each of themembers, which must occupy a given and indispensable position in orderto authorize the movement. This grouping in series with theelectromagnet 6 and the source of electricity is elfected by the play ofthe keys ofthe cylinder 11 and contact-springs of that one of theselector-shafts 13 14 15 16 which corresponds to the itineraryconsidered, as weli as by the play of contacts of normal position and ofreversed position adapted to said shafts 13 14 15 16, (as well as toother like shafts, if necessary, operated by other levers in the samestation,) which contact mechanisms are represented by springs 39 4O 4142, Fig. 3, rubbing against two series of appropriate keys mounted oninsulated blocks 43 44 45 46, keyed, respectively, on the shafts 13 1415 16. The arrangement of the circuits is for that matter already known,and the foregoing sufliciently explains their adaptation in combinationwith the pawl of the itinerary-lever. Under these conditions ofarrangement this improved apparatus works in the following mariner:Suppos- 5 ing that it is desired to open the itinerary corresponding tothe selecting-shaft 16, for this purpose the handle 18 of the auxiliarycommutator 5O belonging to this itinerary is first reversed, which, inaddition to the effect described in our patent hereinbefore named,

produces a selection among the various combinations governed by thesingle lever 1. This itinerary-lever is therefore reversed, the resultof which is to produce only on the combination 5 utilized that is tosay, on the apparatus of the only itinerary determined on and inprospect-all the effects described in our patent hereinbefore named,including the clearing of the signal, as soon as the lever l is entirelyreversed. .As soon as the lever has quitted the normal position anduntil its return thereto it remains connected with the itinerary firstchosen and determined by the selection operated by the movementtransmitted to the 5 selecting-shaft 16, the flange and the catch of thelever 29 forming an obstacle to any change. This is why the improvedapparatus forming the object of the present invention no longer requiresto include the locking ar- 3 rangement specified in our American PatentNo. 749,255, the object of which was to prevent the simultaneousoperation of levers corresponding with the incompatible itineraries.Immediately it is desired to do so the signal which cleared theitinerary is closed by returning, by means of the handle18, theauxiliary commutator 50 into a normal position. This movement, for thatmatter, does not prevent the corresponding selecting-shaft 16 fromremaining with its springs in engagement with the cylinders 11 and 12,said shaft being maintained in position by the catch of the lever 29encountering the interior flange 30 of the cylinder 11. Finally, inorder to block the itinerary the lever 1 is returned to its normalposition, which produces all the effects described in our patenthereinbefore named, but only on the combination or itinerary inquestion, and, further, at the end of its course the selecting-shaft 16is automatically returned to its normal position by the spring 21, whichcauses the catch of the lever .29 to pass through the aperture 34 of theflange 30, which aperture has again come opposite this catch at the endof the return movement of the lever 1. The lever 29 may, in fact,actually effect the movement corresponding to the passage of its fingerthrough the aperture 34, seeing that the head of the lever 17, governingthe rotation of the shaft 16, on which is keyed the lever 29, may lodgein the notch of the cam 19, the handle 18 having been returned to itsnormal position.

It will be seen that to a lever governing n itineraries there areannexed n auxiliary commutators acting on the signals, as in our patenthereinbefore named, each of these commutators also operating theselection of the predetermined itincrary to which it corresponds.

It must of course be understood that the mode of selection which hasbeen more fully hereinbefore set forth, and shown in the accompanyingdrawings, is not an exclusive one and that we reserve the right ofvarying its arrangement while remaining within the limit of itsessential character, which is to bring into engagement withcorresponding springs a series of contacts arranged on thesegenerating-lines of the combining-cylinders, so as thus to eflect, bythe operation of the itinerary-lever actuating these cylinders in anysuitable manner, the series of successive ell'ects completely set forthin our American Patent No. 749,255. We may, for instance, arrange for nitineraries, n combination-cylinders,with their contact-springs alwaysin engagement, as in our Patent No. 749,255, and utilize the action ofthe auxiliary handle for connecting with the sole operating-lever thecombinator corresponding to the itinerary which it is desired to open. Asingle cylinder may also be divided into a sectors for n itineraries byemploying a single series of contact springs which represent thecircuits of all the itineraries, each cylinder sector then carrying thenecessary keys for producing between these circuits the combination andeffects desired for a given itinerary and the said cylinder beingadapted to be keyed on its shaft in it different positions, which keyingpositions are each produced mechanically by the action of thecorresponding auxiliary handle. Finally, it may also be pointed out thatthe method in which the movement of each auxiliary handle is transmittedto the corresponding selector is not essentially mechanical, as in theexample selected, for facilitating the comprehension of thisspecification. The right is reserved of varying this method oftransmission while preserving its essential character, which is toproduce the displacement of the selecting member when the auxiliaryhandle is displaced in one direction or the other from its normalposition. Thus we might employ any other means of transmission,preferably of the same nature as that which actuates postalapparatusthat is to say, electricityin the case taken as an example forthedetailed description of our Patent No. 749,255 and of this invention.In this case the mechanism controlling the angular movement would nolonger comprise the cam 19; but the lever 17 would be connected with thearmature of an electromagnet capable of imparting to it the samemovement as the cam 19, and the exciting-circuit of the saidelectromagnet would be closed by the auxiliary commutator in a reversedposition and opened by the same in a normal position.

We declare that what we claim is 1. An improved system for operatingrailway switches and signals, comprising; the combinator actuated by asingle member directly operated from a central station and effectin gduring the operation of the said member the necessary connections forbringing into the desired position all the track apparatus and signalsrelating to a given itinerary and simultaneouslycontrolling the positionand the interlocking of said apparatus; means enabling the transmissionand control circuits of several incompatible itineraries to be groupedunder the control of a single operating member, and of effectingparticularly in each of these itineraries an auxiliary commutator, themovement of which has for effect to specialize at will the saidoperating member for operating and controlling the switches and signalscorresponding to said commutator, the operation of the single memberdirectly actuated in the central station only then acting on thetransmission and control circuits of the itinerary to which it becomesmomentarily particularly attached; substantially as set forth.

2. In a system for operating railway switches and signals by means of asingle member directly actuated from a central station, a combinatordivided into as many seetors as it is desired to group itineraries underthe command of the said single member; contacts arranged on thegenerating-lines of each of these sectors to coact with correspondingsprings and efiect the necessary connections for simultaneously groupingon the source of energy, the transmission-circuits controlling thedistribution of energy to the motor apparatus of the switches andsignals which it is a question of operating, and for grouping in serieswith the motor of a control-pawl the circuits for controlling theposition of these apparatus; a suitable means for transmitting themovement between the combinator and the single operating member,enabling the latter to transmit to the combinator a rotation of anamplitude equal to the arc of each of the sectors of said memberauxiliary commutators equal in number to the number of said sectors andacting, when they are brought into a reversed position, so as to bringinto engagement with the corresponding contacts of the combinator, thesprings with which the transmission and control circuits of the trackapparatus and signals interested in the itinerary corresponding with thecommutator actuated, are connected; substantially as set forth.

3. In a system for the operation of railway switches and signals bymeans of asingle member directly operated from a central station; acombinator provided with contacts corresponding to all the itinerariesgrouped under the control of said operating member; auxiliarycommutators of equal number to that of said itineraries eachlof saidcommutators acting, when it is in a reversed position, to bring intoengagement with the corresponding contacts of the combinator, thesprings with which the operating and controlling circuits of the trackapparatus and the signals interested in the itinerary corresponding tothe said commutator, end, and according to the direc tion of thereversal of this latter, for enabling by the maneuver of the singlemember directly actuated in the central station, the clearing of one orother of the two signals situated respectively at the two ends of theitinerary in question, to be effected; an inter locking arrangementadapted to prevent the displacement of any one of the auxiliarycommutators so long as the operating member is not in a normal position;a recoil-spring for maintaining the springs of the said commutatorsconstantly away from the combinator so long as these commutators are ina normal position; and an arrangement of lever with a catch formaintaining in contact with the combinator, the springs of a commutator,brought into a reversed position during the whole of the movement of theoperating member substantially as set forth.

4. In a system for operating railway switches and signals by means of asingle member directly operated from a central station;

a combinator divided into as many sectors as there are groups ofitineraries under the control of the said single member; contactsarranged on the generating-lines of each of these sectors to coact withcorresponding springs and effect the necessary connections forsimultaneously grouping on the source of energy all thetransmission-circuits controlling the distribution of energy to thecommutators of the apparatus to be actuated and for grouping in serieswith the motor, acontrolpawl, circuits for controlling the position andinterlocking of these apparatus; auxiliary commutators of equal numberto that of these itineraries, each of said commutators acting when in areversed position for bringing into engagement with correspondingcontacts of the combinator, the springs which form the ends of theoperating and controlling circuits of the apparatus interested in theitinerary corresponding to the said commutator, and, according to thedirection in which the latter is reversed, for allowing one or other ofthe two signals respectively situated at the two ends of the itineraryin question to be cleared by the manipulation of the single memberdirectly actuated in the central station; and suitably adapted totransmit the movement between the combinators and the auxiliarycommutators, so that when the reversal of one of these latter hasbrought the desired contacts of the commutator into engagement, the saidcombinator shall share in the movement of the sole operating memberdirectly actuated in the central station; substantially as described.

5. In a system adapted to operate railway switches and signals by meansof a single member directly actuated in a central station; a combiningmechanism comprising as many individual combinators as there areitineraries grouped under the control of said single member; contactsarranged on the generatingdines of each of these cylinders to coact withcorresponding springs and effect the necessary connections forsimultaneously grouping on the source of energy all the circuitscontrolling the distribution of energy to the motors of the apparatus tobe actuated, and for grouping in series with the motor of thecontrolling-pawl, the circuits controlling the position and interlockingof these apparatus; a suitable means of transmission between the saidindividual combinators and the sole operating member directly actuatedin the central station; auxiliary commutators equal in number to that ofthe itineraries grouped un- 20 der the control of the said sole member,each of these commutators acting when in a reversed position to connectthe individual combinator to which it corresponds, with the singleoperating member directly actuated in the central station, enabling oneor other of the two signals respectively placed at the two ends of theitinerary corresponding to the commutator which has been reversed to becleared, according to the direction of its reversal, substantially asdescribed.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of twowitnesses.

GUSTAVE BLEYN 1E. THEOPHILE DUcoUsso. Witnesses:

HANSON 0. Com, JULES FAYOLLET.

